Near the Fire Temple, Fudō, with his Rock Armour, is seemingly invincible, avoiding all of Yamato's Wood Release and kunai equipped with explosive tags. Using his Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin technique, he seemingly entombs Yamato. Commending Yamato's worthiness, Fudō brands the coffin with the insignia of Konoha before departing, unaware that Yamato used his Earth Release to merge with the coffin. Yamato escapes, and theorises whether the ambush was just to attack one of them, wondering if Danzō may have been behind it.

Sai, who is engaged by Fuen, refuses to fight on a terrain designed by an enemy and flees using his Ink Mist Technique. Unaware that Fuen had thrown a tracking device on his backpack, his attempts to navigate the maze is halted by Fuen's Altering Terrain Diagram Scroll, which notifies her of his exact presence. Using her Altering Terrain Technique, she plants traps that nearly kill him. Not wanting to toy with her prey for too long, she decides to finish him off with Earth Release: Rock Section Cane, forming spears made of stone. She uses one of these spears to impale Sai, but using an ink-variant of the Body Replacement Technique, he reappears behind her, leaving his tracking chip behind. Using his Super Beast Imitating Drawing, he creates three ink beasts to go after her. While she easily defeats them with her stone spears, Sai uses the opportunity to disappear.

Naruto is approached by Fūka, who offers to kiss him in either the French or traditional way. Naruto refuses to kiss what he deems an easy girl; when asked whether he had been kissed before, Naruto vehemently protests that he had, although he admits that it was to a guy, recalling his first and only kiss to none other than Sasuke. Fūka licks Naruto's cheek, and after tasting his wind type chakra, which she deems rare, wishes to add it to her collection. She kisses Naruto in an attempt to drain his chakra, but the latter dispels himself, revealing himself to be nothing more than a shadow clone. He creates more shadow clones and praises Fūka's soft lips, although he adds that she won't be able to kiss him again. Using Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, she burns and dispels of all his shadow clones. When he creates more, she resorts to using Water Release: Snake's Mouth technique to twist and swallow them all up, dispelling all of the clones. With no more clones left, Naruto is left exposed, dragged through the water's current as he marvels at Fūka's possession of two types of elemental chakra natures. Fūka responds in kind by using Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder to send a powerful jolt of electricity through the water. Before he is shocked, he expresses shock at her ability to possess not one or two but three different types of chakra natures.

Fudō and Fuen meet up at the top of the terrain, where Fudō proudly exclaims that he killed his foe. Fuen admits that she did not manage to do the same, but chalks it up to Sai being much more of a challenge than she anticipated. Inside the maze, Sakura, who was abandoned by Sora, is nearly attacked by a giant spider until she is saved by Sai, who uses his ink to blind the spider; the spider retaliates by shooting outs its venom, poisoning Sai. Sai asks Sakura if she touched by his move; pulling out a book on self-sacrifice, he reads out an excerpt that states that one of the best ways to touch other people is to give up your life for them, and that it works especially well with women. Sakura is irked by the comment, while Sai wonders whether the move would work on swaying Naruto. Sakura then jabs Sai with a needle containing antidote, as Sai shrieks in pain. Meanwhile, Sora manages to catch up to the mastermind orchestrating the attacks, Furido, who tells Sora that he has been waiting for him.